Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Maya turned around twice, taking in the room. Looking up at the overhead lighting. “This is really nice. There’s something comforting about this kitchen. You didn’t design it, did you?”
How could she possibly guess that? “I had it remodeled before I moved in,” he admitted. He had told himself he’d be as truthful as possible with her. “I needed a sanctuary for Rogue and me. Somewhere we might feel a little peace. I found this place for sale and saw the potential.”
“The entryway and staircase are your designs as well?”
He nodded. “I didn’t choose the Italian marble. Most of the materials were chosen by some very experienced craftsmen I consulted.”
“Do you cook?”
“I like to eat, but I’m no cook. Gedeon has been instructing me on the grill outside. He thinks I should be proficient on that at least.”
She gave him a small smile. He thought it might be genuine, because it lit her eyes to a fantastic shade of blue for the briefest of moments, just enough time for him to want to see that color again. “That Gedeon is bossy.”
Gorya nodded. “I gave him far too much power over me when I hired him. Fortunately, Meiling makes up for him.”
Maya turned away from him, but not fast enough, and not before he caught a look on her face that told him she might not be enamored with Meiling. That didn’t make sense because she hadn’t met her. It even appeared as if she’d rolled her eyes.
“Do you cook?”
“Out of necessity, but I don’t love it. I like to grow things. Gardens. Vegetables. Herbs. Beautiful flowers. Mostly vegetables and herbs. At first I wasn’t very successful, but I started paying attention to soil and heat and water and what needed what. It’s not just tossing the seeds in the ground like I thought it would be. I liked researching how to grow the different vegetables. I also thought if I survived long enough and could settle somewhere, I would learn to keep bees.”
Gorya didn’t like the way she’d put that. Why the hell wouldn’t she survive? What did she mean by that? He considered whether it would be a good idea to ask her, but he didn’t want her to shut down. At least she was talking to him without looking as if she were on the verge of flight—or trying to kill him. Or loathing him.
“Have you gardened in a greenhouse?”
“Not yet. I thought about it. I tried barrels in a couple of the places I lived. When it was cold, I put plastic around them. The plants survived, but they weren’t the healthiest. I’ve done a lot of research on various types of greenhouses.” Her voice trailed off as she followed him into the informal dining room that looked out to the back of the property.
The floor-to-ceiling windows and thick sliding glass doors gave a good view of a saltwater pool and spa and a fire pit sitting on a raised portion of the large patio.
“Do you like water?”
She nodded without taking her gaze from the pool. “How do you keep the wildlife away? The alligators? The birds and snakes? It seems to me it would be a full-time job.”
“The entire backyard is surrounded by a high fence and netting.”
“You do a good job of keeping it invisible.”
“That wasn’t my design, although I’d like to take the credit. Drake Donovan has lived in various places—rainforests, swamps, you name it—and he has experience living in harmony with all kinds of wildlife. I suppose shifters are considered wildlife.”
She turned her head to look at him. Once more, there was that hint of deeper blue in her eyes, indicating her sense of humor had kicked in.
“You do give off a feral vibe.”
Was she teasing him? Was she even capable of that? He raised an eyebrow. “I’m considered the easygoing, charming cousin.”
“Ever the deceiver. How could they possibly live with you all those years and not catch on?” There was real curiosity in her voice.
Gorya liked that she was interested, but confessions would only reinforce her bad opinion of him. Unfortunately, she needed to see the truth of him if she was going to live with him, and for whatever reason, he’d made up his mind that she was. Gorya wasn’t a man to lose a battle, let alone the war. Rogue deserved whatever contentment and peace he could get in the time he had left, and whatever it cost Gorya—or Maya—he was going to see that Rogue got it.
He continued walking to the large den. There were comfortable chairs and a large floor-to-ceiling cabinet housing books and a television. A gas fireplace was built into the wall on one side, and two windows faced the patio.
“My cousins look and feel like dangerous men. In their way, they are. Fyodor destroyed the entire lair, killed his father, in order to save Timur and me.” Gorya tapped his fingers against his thigh. “They don’t believe they’re good men, but I know differently. Timur loved his mother. I never understood why. I really didn’t. I was brought to her when my mother was murdered, and Ogfia raised me along with Timur and Fyodor. She never once showed an ounce of affection for either of them, let alone me.”